Folding device for rolling mills



1932- R. H. NORTON ET AL 1,839,334

FOLDING DEVICE FOR ROLLING MILLS Criginal Filed June 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 31 30 5 1 h x P??? 46 #7 57 Ru/CZ' MM, MvMW Patented Jan. 5, 1932 PATENT OFFICE j 2 UNITED STATES v RALPH H. NORTON, OF CHICAGO, AND WILLIAM C. FORK, OF HOMEWOOD, ILLINOIS, AS-

SIGNORS TO ACME ILLINOIS STEEL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF FOLDING DEVICE FOR ROLLING KILLS Original application filed June 15, 1928, lerial Ho. 885,822. Divided and this application filed August 16,

- 1828, Berial No. 888,303.

provide improved apparatus for doubling the artially reduced and elongated hot metal ar upon itself to form a pack which is then adapted to be subjected to further action by finishing rolls to form a plurality of superimposed sheets of finer gauge thancan be roduced by the rolling of a single sheet. A

urther object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus comprisin means for enga ing the partially reduce and elongate hot sheet or bar during its travel through the mill whereby the forward end of the hot sheet or ba is automaticall held and elevated to permit the body portion of the sheet or bar to travel beneath the elevated end, thereby doubling the sheet or bar upon itself and forming a plurality of layers of hot metal which are adapted to be further reduced to a finished gauge by the operation of the finishing rolls. Still another object of the invention 18 to provide an improved device for automatically gripping the forward end of an advancing hot metal sheet or bar. Still another object is to provide means for gripping and elevating the forward end of an advancing hot metal sheet or bar and subsequently permitting the read release of that end of the sheet or bar w en it has been doubled upon itself to form a plurality of superimposed layers. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompan ng drawings, in which one embodiment o the invention is illustrated in connection with one form of rolling mill installation with which it may be employed. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a somewhat diagrammatic top Renewed April 30, 1981.

plan view of a rolling mill having embodied therein the folding device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic side elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged diagrammatic side elevation of the intermediate portion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, this being the device by which the hot metal sheet or bar, ptg-rltally reduced, is folded or doubled upon 1 e hi 4 shows a side elevation of the device by w 1ch the forward end of the traveling sheet 18 gripped and elevated;

Fig. 5 shows a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6, illustrating the construction of one of the gripping arms and its gripping dog; and

Fig. 6 shows an end elevation of the gripplng apparatus by which the end of the sheet is gripped and elevated, the view being taken looking toward the right as viewed in Fig. 4.

In carrying out the manufacture of metal strips or sheets with the use of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the hot ingots are first formed into elongated slabs preferably several feet long, two inches or more in thickness and about four inches or more in width. These elongated slabs are heated in a suitable furnace 10 to the temperature required for the subsequent reducing operations, preferably a temperature about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit. These hot metal slabs are discharged from the furnace 10 one at a time, into the guide channel I 11 of the mill where they are fed by feeding rollers 13 between the reducing rolls 12 which constitute the first set of a series of roughing rolls by which the hot slab is partially reduced and elongated. The rolls 12 engage the fiat slab on its edges for the purpose of producing a uniform Width from end to end, and after passing through these rolls the slab is manually tilted onto its fiat side before it passes into the second set of rolls 14 by which its gauge is reduced. The slab is then manually or automatically set up on its edge again and passed through another set of rolls 15. After passing through the rolls 15, the slab is returned to its flat side on the feeding rolls I nient of the guide channel 11 before passing through the reducing rolls 16. The edge of the partially reduced slab is then engaged by the edge rollers 17 which rotate about vertical axes. As the partially reduced and elonated bar emerges from the edge rollers 17 it passes between the horizontal rollers 18 which constitute the final reducing rollers of the roughing set. The various reducing or horizontal rollers 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18 are 22 leading from an electric motor 23. The

edge rollers 17 have vertical shafts connected to a driving shaft 24 which is driven by an electric motor 25.

As the partiall reduced and greatly elongated hot metal ar emerges from the final set of roughing rolls 18, it is in readiness to be doubled upon itself biy the apparatus of the present invention. f the operation is being carried. on at a relatively high temperature such as that suggesed above, there is preferably applied to the top surface of the hot met-d strip or bar, before it is doubled a suit his separating agent for preventin the superimposed hot metal layers from ad ering to each other in the rolling which takes place following the doubling operation. This separating agent may preferably be sodium carbonate applied according to the improved method described and claimed in 35 the co-pending application of Ralph H. N orton Serial No. 285,621, filed June 15, 1928. This separating agent is applied to the top surface of the traveling elongated bar 26 from a suitable sifting box or shaker 27 which is 2 located over the guide channel 11 of the mill immediately following the rolls l8. Immediately after passing the sifting box 27, the forward end of the traveling bar 26 is autoiisaticaily engaged b a pair of gripping arms which are pivota ly mounted to swing upwardly and away from the rolls 18 so that, :s the *8 inward end of the traveling bar is elevated, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, the trailing portion of the elongated bar 26 is automatically fed beneath the arm 30 therecausing the elongated fiat bar to be doui upon itself as shown in Fig. 3. The :i: by which the forward end of the elongated bar is gripped and eleiiiis the form shown particularly in s- 4, and 6. This apparatus is carried a pair of auxiliary frames 31 detachably ired, to the sides of the guide frame or niiiriel by means of bolts 32 detachably giiig sockets 33. The frames 31 have a rnaled therein a transverse shaft 34 provided at one end with a crank 35 and at the other end with a fixed collar 36 so that the s aft restrained against longitudinal movelhe crank handle 35 has a depending arm 37 which is normally maintained in engagement with a stop pin 35 by means of a coil spring 39 connected to the lower end of the arm 37 and to ii pin 40 secured to the adjacent frame 31. Between the frames 31, the shaft Zlel has journiilcd thereon the two gripping arms 30 each of which has an upward extension 30 secured to a transverse rod 42. The rod 42 projects laterally over one of the auxiliary li'iiiiics 31 adjacent the handle 35 and this projecting portion of the rod carries ii pivotiilly mounted pawl 43 which is actuated by a coil spring 44, mounted on the rod, to engage the ratchet teeth 45 of the sector 46 which forms the upper part of one of the side frames 31. The lower end of each gripping arm 3i) is provided with a hooked jaw -18 having the form illustrated particularly in Fig. 0. This jaw has a relatively narrow recess ll) adapted to he engaged by the end of the oncoming bar of metal and the mouth of the jaw is provided with an upturned liangc 5U for the purpose of guiding the metal into the recess 19. As the forward end of the traveling bar engages the recesscs 49 in the two gripping arms do, which are located in the same plane, these arms are forced upwardly and toward the right as viewed in Figs. 3 and I), and this lllOliUll causes the end of the bar to ho autoiniiticiilly gripped by the jaws in due to the action of gripping dogs 51 which extend downwardly from the shaft 3i and which are proxided at their upper ends with split bearing members 52 arranged to he journaled on the re duced and eccentric-ally located portions 53 of the shaft 34. These eccentric portions are located adjacent to the arms 30 and the jaws -18 are elongated laterally from the lower ends of the iii-ms no, as shown in Fig. 1;, so that the gripping dogs 51 are permitt d to engage apertures .34 which are formed in the top walls. of the jaws l8. the (li'llb do are swung u wardly about the shaft $54 by the action 0 the moving elongated bar of hot metal, the jaws -18 move in paths which are eccentric with respect to the pivotal supports of the gripping dogs Iil so that these dogs are forced downwardly through the openings 54 and are caused to grip the edge of the sheet and retain it securely in position within the jaws. When the arms 30 reach a limiting position which is determined principally by the weight of the bar and its speed of travel, it is retained in that position by the engagement of the pawl 43 with one of the ratchet teeth 15 so that the arms 30 then hold the end of the elongated bar 20 in an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 3, while the trailing portion of the bar travels beneath the arms 30 and the bar is thereby doubled upon itself. \Vhen the trailing end of the bar reaches a position adjacent to the location of the arms 30, the operator standing at the side of the mill releases the forward end of the bar from the jaws 48 b turning the crank handle 35 toward the le (2 as viewed in Fig. 4, thereby rotating the shaft 34 and causing the eccentric portions 53 of the shaft to elevate the gripping dogs out of engagement with the sheet. The doubled bar then advances bodily on the underlying rollers of the guide channel l1 and engages other rollers by which the superimposed layers of the bar are flattened upon each other.

As. the double bar 26 advances over the un- (lei-lying rollers 55 the bent extremity 26* thereof engages a pair of rolls 56 which partially compress the bent end ofthe bar so as tocause it toassume the form indicated by dotted lines at :37. This bent portion, of reduced vertical dimension, then engages another set of rolls 58 which'further compress the bent end to cause it to assume the condition shown at 59 in- Fig. 3. This part 59 then engages a pair of closely spaced rolls 60 which etl'ect the final operation of flattening the upper section 26 of the bar upon the lower section 26. These rolls 56, 58 and 60, which form a gradually diminishing passage for the tra veling sheet, are actuated by a com mon driving mechanism'til driven by an electric motor (32, as shown in Fig. l. Upon emerging from the converging series of rolls by which the bar is flattened upon itself, the bar is in readiness for the'final reducing op eration,preliminaryto which it is passed hetwcen a pair of edging rolls (35 which are mounted on vertical axes and which are driven by acommon driving shaft 66' actuated by an electric motor (37. The forward end of the doubled bar, upon emerging from the space between the edging rolls 65, is engaged by the first pair of reducing rolls 68 and it then passes successively through a number of similar sets of reducing rolls 69, four of which sets are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The reducing rolls (58 and (39 are actuated by suitable gearing in the gear boxes 70 and the mechanism of each gear box is in turn driven by an electric motor 71. These i otors 71 are pre ferably driven at different speed to compensate for the gradual reduction in thickness of the pack made up of thesuperimposed layers of the metal bar. During. the progress of the bar through the finishing rolls 68 and 69, it is important to keep the top layer 26" in exact alignment with the lower layer 26 and for this purpose each of the pairs of reducing rolls 69 is preceded by vertical guiding rollers 73 each pair of which is actuated by a common driving shaft 74 havinga driviugconnectionby a chain 75 with the shaft 76 by which the motor 71 of the next preceding set of reducing rolls is connected to its gear box. In this wayeach set of guiding rolls 73 is driven with a speed corresponding with the speed of the reducing rolls of the next preceding set by which the elongated bar is still engaged at the time that the forward end of the bar is firstcontacted by the guiding rollers of that dparticular set. The guiding rollers 73 an parts associated therewith may preferably be of the form described and claimed in the copendin application of Ralph H. Norton, Serial f0. 285,623, filed June 15, 1928.

It will be apparent that by the means described in the foregoing specification, it is possible to etfcctthe doubling of a bar of hot metal after the partial reduction thereof for the purpose of effecting a further reduction to a relatively thin or sheet gauge and of definite width without the employment of complicated mechanism for effecting the doubling operation.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed 'in various other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination in apparatus for the manufa ture of metal sheets and strips, of means for feeding a metal bar, a movable member having a part adapted to enga e and elevate the forward end of said bar urin its travel, and means cooperating with said member and operated automatically upon the elevation of said end of said bar for gripping said bar.

2. The combination in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips, of means for feeding a metal bar, a movable member having a part adapted-t0 engage and elevate the forward end of said bar during its travel, means cooperating with said member and o erated automatically upon the elevation oi said end of said bar for gripping said bar, and means for operating said gripping means to release said bar.

3. The combination in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips, of means for feeding a metal bar, a pivoted arm having a. 'aw to engage theforward end of said her uring its movement and to swing upwardly due to the movement of said bar, a gripping dog engaging said jaw, and means actuated by the upward swinging of said arm for causing said dog to hold said bar in said aw. v

4. The combination in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips, of means for feeding a metal, bar, a pivotally mounted arm having a jaw ada-pted to engage the forward end of the moving bar and carry said end upwardly therewith, and a gripping dog having a pivotal axis eccentric to the axis of movement of said arm and having a part engaging said jaw whereby the upward swinging of said arm causes said gripping dog to engage and grip said metal bar.

5. The combination in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips, of

movement of said arm about said shaft causes means for feeding a metal bar, a pivotally mounted arm havin'g'a'jaw' adapted tq engag'e the forward end of the moving bar and carry said-end upwardly'therewith; a gripping dq having a pivotal axis eccentric to the ajXis'o anovenient of said ar'm' andha'ving a. parit fen;

gaging'said jaw whereby the'upward swing mg of said arm causessaidigrippin'g 'dog to engage-and grip said'metal bar,'and 'mahually operated means for actuating said gripping dog to release said'bari" w I j 6; "The combination in apparatusjfor thb rnanufacture-iof' metal'sheets and strips, of means for feeding a metal 'bar, a' pivotally mounted-arm having xii-jaw adapted t'o engage the forward end of the moving bar and carry said end upwardly therewith, agrip'ping dog havinga "pivotal axis eccentric toythe axis of movement of said arm and havingfallpa'rt engaging said jaw whereby the upward swinging of said armoauses said dog to engage and grip said metal 'ar, an

manually'operated means'for 'effectin relative movement ofthe pivotal axes of said arm andsaid gripping dog for eifectingtberelease of said, bar.

7.'The combination in apparatus for the manufacture'of metal sheets and strips of means for feeding-a metal bar, a shaft mountedtransversely to the path of travel ofsaid bar, an arm rotatably mounted on said shaft and carrying a de endin jaw ada ted "to engage automatical y the or'ward en of the traveling bar, the movement of said bar forcingsaidarm upwardiiy, and means for automatically'holding sai a ed transversely to the path of travel of said bar, an arm-rotatably mounted onsaid shaft and-carrying a depending jaw adapted to engage automatically the forward end of the traveling'bar; the movement of said 'bar forcing said arm upwardly, said shaft having a reduced eccentrically located part, and a gripping dog pivotally mounted on said reduced saiddo'g' to grip said bar.

9. The combination in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips, of

means for feeding a metal bar, a shaft mount-1 edtransversely to the path of travel of said her, anarm rotatably mounted on said shaft and carrying a depending jaw adapted to en-' gage automatically the forward end of the traveling bar, the movement of said sheet forcing said arm upwardly, said shaft havjrm in theuppermost. position which it assumes under the influence the movementjof said said shaft causes said do I to grip said-bar, means :for rotating said s aft, and meansv for normally holding sa id shaft-Qin stationary position I 10,] The combination. in apparatus forithe manufacture of metal. sheets and strips; of means for feeding a metal bar, holding means for engagingand holding one end ofsaid bar while permitting. the...remainingr portion thereof to pass beneath said holding means, and means located beyond saidholdingm ans for engaging and compressing the doubled portionsiof said bar. 1

. .11. The combination .in apparatus for :the

12. The com ination in'appa'rat-us for the manufacture of metal sheets and'str'i s, of

means for feeding ametal bar endw1se,-a

member having a part. adapted to engage and elevate the forwardendof: said bar while permitting the continued travel beneath said member of the, remaining. portionof said bar, means cooperating -with said member for automatica ly gripping said end of'said bar, and means for operating said torelease said bar.

.13. The combination. in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips;'of means for engaging and holding in fixed position theforwardend of a moving elongated metal bar, andmeans located rearwardly of said holding means for feeding said bar and maintaining the motion thereof past and in proximity to said holding means to effect the doublin of said bar.

14. The combination in apparatus for the manufacture of metal sheets and strips, of means for automatically engaging the forward end of a moving elongatedmetal bar" and holding said end 'while permitting the continued motion of the' remainder of said bar, means for feeding the remainder of said bar past said holding means and thereby efgripping meansfecting the doubling of said bar, and means located beyond said holding means for en- I gaging and compressing the doubled bar.

means for automatically engaging the for- 'ward'end'of a moving elongated metal bar.

and holding said end while permitting the continued motion of the remainder of said.

bar, means for feeding the remainder of said bar past said holding means and thereby effecting the doubling of said bar, means 10-.

eated beyond said holding means for 'en-.

gaging and compressing the doubled bar,

and means for operating said holding means to release said end of said bar and permit the continued motion of the doubled but through said compressing means;

In witness whereof, we have subscribed our names.

RALPH H. NORTON. WILLIAM C. FGBK. 

